COLUMBUS, Ohio -

Ohio State’s football program has taken a pounding this spring in light of NCAA allegations that are continuing to unfold, counting a head coach as one of their losses.

OSU’s first chance for an on-field victory won’t come until the season opener on Sept. 3 against Akron, but the Buckeyes scored an off-the-field victory last week, per a ruling from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

And they weren’t the only ones.

Two auto dealers in Columbus, Ohio, and their former salesman have been exonerated after the BMV’s investigation into vehicle sales between the stores and OSU student-athletes found no improprieties.

As most know, the Columbus Dispatch story alleged that Buckeye athletes and their families were given special discounts on used vehicles from Jack Maxton Chevrolet and Auto Direct, with the majority of the cars being sold by Aaron Kniffin, a former salesman with separate stints at the stores.

BMV’s investigation delved into deaers’ sales files, certificates of title, power of attorney forms, prior ownership records, NADA and Kelley Blue Book retail sales data, and documents revealing what the dealers paid for the vehicles on wholesale.

BMV also said it "found no evidence in the dealers’ business records that tickets and/or sports memorabila were included in the sales," and said that the dealers and Kniffin denied the allegations that tickets or sports memorabilia were provided in the deals.

“In conclusion, our report focused on the issue of whether the dealers’ sales records and the certificates of title accurately reflect the sales prices of the vehicles sold by Jack Maxton and Auto Direct to OSU athletes and members of their families,” read the June 21 Report of Investigation from the Ohio BMV, provided to Auto Remarketing.

“Our conclusion is that they do,” it indicated.

Dealers Deny Wrongdoing

After the story in the newspaper surfaced, the two dealerships and Kniffin had provided affidavits in May. All three parties denied the allegations.

“Jack Maxton Chevrolet has never requested, and has never received, any type of promotional benefit in exchange for the dealership’s sale of a vehicle to an Ohio State University student-athlete,” owner Jack Maul wrote to Doug Archie, OSU’s associate athletic director for compliance, in a letter dated May 10.

Auto Direct owner Jason Goss said after reviewing all the deals in question, he found “no inconsistencies in profit margins” compared to other sales.

“I would like to make it very clear that we (Auto Direct) have never received memorabilia or anything else in consideration for discounting a vehicle we have sold to an Ohio State athlete or family member,” he wrote in the affidavit notarized May 10.

Likewise, Kniffin said in his affidavit that “OSU student-athletes weren’t given any enticements to buy the car at my dealership.”

OIADA Backs Up Dealer’s Claim

And shortly after the article in the Columbus Dispatch came out, Ohio Independent Automobile Dealers Association executive director Jim Mitchell said he was contacted by Auto Direct owner Jason Goss.

Mitchell was asked to conduct a third-party audit of the car deals at Auto Direct involved in the BMV investigation, he said in a letter dated May 18, which OSU provided to Auto Remarketing.

Following his inspection, Mitchell concluded that no favoritism had been made by Auto Direct. As part of his audit, Mitchell said that they reviewed each sale in question to see if it was under fair-market value and examined auction receipts showing accurate purchase prices.

“I also reviewed copies of checks to various sources to whom the vehicles were purchased from, what additional expenses were charged to these vehicles and finally, what amount of gross profit was derived from the sale of all of these vehicles,” he wrote in the letter.

“At the end of my examination I was able to ascertain that out of all the sales realized by Auto Direct to the student athletes and their family members, the gross profits were in line with or in excess of the national average amount reported in the Annual Used Car Report published by the National Independent Automobile Dealer Association, which is available at www.niada.com and listed under publications,” Mitchell added.

He went on to note that he found no proof of improper titling procedures or sales tax calculations. Mitchell asserted that all dealer paperwork for every sale was legal and adhered to state and federal regulations.

“It is my professional opinion in regards to the sales transactions regarding student athletes and their family members that there was no preferential treatment,” Mitchell noted. “All vehicles were sold at fair market value and the profit margins were consistent with Auto Direct’s average profit per unit along with the national average for used-car dealers.”

Ohio State Reacts

It has yet to be determined what will happen to the Buckeyes, as the multiple layers to their NCAA troubles, which go beyond this auto investigation, are peeled back. But for now, OSU has received at least some good news in an otherwise difficult year.

"(The recent) report from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles supports the sworn statements two Columbus auto dealers provided us that the manner in which they conducted sales with Ohio State student athletes and their families adhered to university and NCAA rules,” said Doug Archie, OSU’s associate athletic director for compliance, in a statement provided to Auto Remarketing.